Last week your bloggers received news that Chevron appears to be departing the avgas distribution business. We called Hank Maierhoffer, manager of the Plantation Airpark in Sylvania, Ga., (JYL) who confirmed that his avgas supplier, Chevron, is ending sales of avgas and has covered up his Chevron sign.

WICHITA, Kan. — The first production flight of Cessna’s Turbo Skylane 182 JT-A took place May 21 at the company’s facility in Independence, Kan. The aircraft is powered by a piston engine specifically designed to run on Jet-A fuel.

Further evidence that consumers demand an ethanol-free alternative has been provided in recent weeks by actions at both state and federal levels. As reported by this blog on Feb. 20, Florida State Representative Matt Gaetz has led an effort to repeal his state’s mandates on the use of ethanol blends in vehicles.

Pilots fueling up general aviation aircraft in Indiana can expect to see savings of $100, $250, or more each time they taxi to the pumps now that lawmakers have passed a package of aviation tax exemptions and restructurings. According to a report at AOPA.org, the joy also will extend to lower sales-tax line items on their aircraft maintenance bills — and that should provide a shot in the arm to the state’s aviation industry and even rid Indiana of a reputation for imposing the highest fuel taxes in the nation.

After Oshkosh, I sent an email to Michael Kraft, Lycoming’s senior vice president and general manager. Due to this busy travel schedule, he was just able to get his answers to me. To honor his request, I agreed to run this in a Q&A format.

Q: Is Lycoming working on or considering development of a diesel cycle piston aircraft engine?

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia court has dismissed a lawsuit by environmentalist group Friends of the Earth pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to decide whether lead emissions from general aviation aircraft endanger public health and welfare. The court said the issue is not one that it can take up under a provision of the Clean Air Act allowing “citizen suits.”